Although recycling has a long history, it is only relatively recently that environmental protection and waste management issues have come to the forefront of both public and political awareness. Outside the fields of expertise, generally little is known about either plastics or their recyclability.

As in the successful first edition, this book provides straightforward information on plastic materials and technology, including the options for recycling plastics, with special focus on mechanical recycling. It touches on all the major problems associated with recovering and recycling plastics at a level intended to be accessible to any reader with an interest in this field, whatever their background. It also looks at some of the broader issues surrounding successful waste management of plastics.

This new edition reflects the great strides that have been made to increase recycling rates worldwide in recent years. It considers the expansion of infrastructure in the UK to support plastic recycling and major achievements that have been made in gaining widespread public support and participation for recycling schemes; specifically the need to manage waste on an individual household level. Current issues surrounding council recycling of plastic bottles, and the practice of providing free plastic carrier bags by supermarkets, are also considered.

Biopolymers are expected to have a major impact on plastic markets in the future and therefore some of the issues of biodegradability versus recycling are expanded in this second edition, as is the wider context of life cycle analysis and legislation.

Key features...

Clear, easy to understand text

Written for a broad audience both within and outside the polymer industry

Good introduction to plastic materials and technology with useful illustrations

Up-to-date information on the plastics recycling infrastructure and recent developments

Reviewed.

About the 1st Edition"...This book has been well written and great care is taken to make the information accessible. The lucid style and numerous internet based references should help any reader explore a promising area, and should, by design, lead to many returns."

Dr Vannessa Goodship is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Warwick. She worked in the plastics industry for fourteen years prior to working at Warwick and has acted as co-ordinator for the UK Polymer Recycling Network. She has now worked in the field of polymer processing for over twenty four years and has published work on a variety of plastic related subjects.